The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, June 28, 2004

NEW SOCCER FIGURE: Colombian-born Jorge Luis Pinto, Costa Rica’s new national soccer coach, arrived in Costa Rica on Friday and announced the new national selection roster Saturday.
AFP Photo/Mayela López

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Air Traffic Controllers Continue Strike,
Airports Operating

Costa Rican airports continued to operate yesterday with foreign air traffic controllers, brought in by the government to replace Costa Rican controllers who continued a strike they started Saturday.

The controllers are striking in an attempt to obtain salaries they say were promised in 1994. Air traffic controllers carry out the crucial task of coordinating take-offs and landings from the control tower.

“All of the airports are working normally thanks to the cooperation of 28 international air traffic controllers. Saturday, the airports of the country were only closed for perhaps a couple of hours,” said Eugenia López, a spokeswoman for the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT).

López explained that the interim controllers are being paid by the Central American Air Navigation Agency, and added, “with this group of controllers (airports) shall be able to provide adequate service.”

Local air traffic controllers will continue the strike they began Saturday, according to the Air Traffic Controller’s Union spokesman, Leonardo Guillén. He said the controllers want to see the terms of the 1994 agreement carried out, which would give them salaries 35% greater than Civil Aviation inspectors, who currently earn higher salaries than the controllers.

According to López, Public Works and Transport Minister Javier Chaves said he is ready to negotiate with the controllers, but they broke off negotiations because they wanted him to recognize a larger sum than that which they are owed.

López said the government of Costa Rica has recognized the salary error and is willing to pay the debt that has accumulated since 1994, and that he hopes controllers will resume negotiations today.
--AFP

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Pinto Convenes Costa Rican
Players for American Cup

Costa Rica’s new national soccer coach, Colombian-born Jorge Luis Pinto, convened 22 players Saturday to compete in the 2004 American Cup, including Erick Scott and defender Mauricio Wright.

Those two players in particular are significant since Scott is the only player with a professional career overseas who will be on the team, and Wright had previously been cut from the national selection by recently fired coach Steve Sampson for problems with his “behavior.” Scott plays for Columbus Crew in the United States.

Other Ticos playing overseas who will not participate in the American Cup include Gilberto Martínez (Brescia, Italy) and Paulo César Wanchope (Manchester City, England). Those two players had announced that they would give priority to the pre-season activities of their respective clubs.

Pinto, named as U.S.-born Sampson’s replacement last Wednesday (TT, June 25), elected to exclude seven players who had shone on the national team during the “Sampson era,” including Alvaro Saborío, Jervis Drummond, Carlos Castro, Rodrigo Cordero, Winston Parks, Pablo Chinchilla and Harold Wallace.

The Tico selection that will compete in Peru is made up of a mix of the older national selection team members and members of the Sub-23 team, which recently qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Pinto announced the list Saturday night after meetings with representatives of local clubs and authorities of the Costa Rican Soccer Federation (FEDEFUT).
--AFP

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Panama Lifts Import Restrictions
Placed on Costa Rican Products

Panama lifted import restrictions placed on Costa Rica last week after overcoming differences sparked by a Panamanian shipment of 11,000 kilograms of chicken seized June 16 that Costa Rican authorities said was contaminated with salmonella.

Some 50 Costa Rican trucks with fertilizers, agricultural products and gelatin, among other things, were able to cross the border at Paso Canoas between Saturday and Sunday after the restrictions were lifted.

Costa Rican Agriculture Minister Javier Laurent assured the national press that “the situation that arose has been totally overcome, as all the trucks that were stopped were able to cross the border and enter Panamanian territory.”

The poultry company Melo, the largest in Panama, announced yesterday that its products do not have salmonella. Costa Rican agricultural authorities confirmed the statement.

The company attributed the incident to the pressure of seven Costa Rican poultry companies who want to recuperate the market area won by Melo with its processed products such as “nuggets” and “sticks.”

After the salmonella incident, Panamanian authorities detained dozens of Costa Rican trucks at the border for not having the proper import documents. Also, Panamanian authorities seized eight kilograms of processed Costa Rican chicken for not having the proper sanitary permits.

Commerce between Panama and Costa Rica is regulated by a bilateral agreement signed 32 years ago, and could eventually be replaced by a free-trade agreement – although negotiations toward that end have been suspended because of differences between the countries surrounding the agriculture market, financing and services.

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Wednesday October 26, 2005